25 Comments

1. taotechuck:

   Wow. Like you, I had no idea there were two versions of this cover. I also never realized just how good this cover is, given that I’ve largely dismissed most of the Stones’ later (i.e., the past 30+ years) work. This really is a great design.

   # 28 Aug 07 at 1:31 am

2. dan:

   bill wyman is a really ugly lady…

   # 06 Sep 07 at 12:30 am

3. bdave:

   Just for the completists, the advert that was used:

   http://picasaweb.google.com/davebelling/Downloads/photo#5128824217353609586

   # 04 Nov 07 at 1:39 pm

4. Cindy:

   I have the Rolling Stones album. great condition. does any one know what it is worth?

   # 08 Nov 07 at 3:48 pm

5. christian:

   Peter Corriston also designed the cover for Zeppelin’s “Physical Graffiti,” with a similar concept (East Village Tenament with die cut windows). Also to his credit is the Stones “Tattoo You” cover (among many others).

   # 13 Nov 07 at 3:17 am

6. Michael Quirk:

   I agree that Bill Wyman is a really ugly lady. Always thought this was a great design concept.

   # 31 Dec 07 at 5:32 am

7. dk:

   There are actually a lot more than two versions of this cover. The type along the top that says “The Rolling Stones” was issued in at least five different color schemes (all variations on red, white, and blue).

   It’s probably also worth noting that the ‘banned’ version of the cover is only slightly more valuable than the amended (ie, faceless) version. You can usually find it in the five to ten dollar range, and it’s not really that hard to find if you look around.

   Awesome site - keep up the good work!

   # 12 Jan 08 at 6:55 am

8. Oi.:

   Great cover.

   “Macho boys” from the Stones-?!?!?! I’ve heard them called a lot of things, but never heard Mick Jagger, one of the great androgynous dancing boys of the 20th century, get called “macho”

   # 07 Mar 08 at 5:13 pm

9. Don:

   There were six different versions of Some Girls and none of the photos are the people you think they are. There are, however, photos of the cover designer Peter Corriston, his partner in crime Robert Indiana, Eric Segal (author of the phenominal Love Story, and Laurie Gameral (the girl with faraway eyes). This album was a response for faraway eyes himself and is connected to Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculpture and Eric Segal’s Love Story. You can here Mick calling to Don Varga in the lyrics of the songs.

   # 08 May 08 at 1:26 am

10. Don:

    This album cover came out in six different versions initially then was changed to the blocked out version. None of the photos are of the people that they appear to be. There are, however, photos of Peter Corriston (the designer), Eric Segal (author of Love Story), Robert Indiana (Peter Corristons partner in crime) and the “girl with faraway eyes”, she actually exists. This album is the climax of an incredible love story and ties to other albums: Exile on Main Street, Tattoo You (Mick is just waiting on a friend) and the current Bigger Bang.

    # 08 May 08 at 2:00 am

11. heidi marsh:

    I have the original album + cover, both in great condition. I’d also like to know: Does anyone know what these are worth? Thanks.

    # 18 May 08 at 5:55 am

12. Don:

    Heidi, don’t sell the album just hold on to it. You’ll know when it is time to sell!

    # 20 May 08 at 6:58 am

13. Quint Gregory:

    Slightly afield of this thread, but still concerned with Peter Corriston. As director of art for the Stones’ Tattoo You (1981), he utilized the work of Christian Piper modifying some photos given him by the band. The back cover features Keith Richards but can anyone definitively state the subject of Christian Piper’s interventions for the front cover (is it Mick Jagger - my thought, is David Bowie - others and wikipedia, or is it an anonymous woman -seems least likely)? As so many here seem to be well informed on all manner of arcana I am hopeful for clarification. Thanks

    # 04 Jun 08 at 5:33 am

14. Damian:

    I have a copy of this banned cover that is a Promo copy. It has the regular yellow lable on record however it has a Rolling Stone Promo sticker, a warning sticker to check contents before airing and a stamped promo- not for sale stamped onto the cover. Any idea what this is worth? Both are in VG+ -NM condition. I could not find this LP Promo in any Price Guide. Thanks.

    # 05 Jul 08 at 2:20 am

15. David:

    Great info - forgot the whole story. Bit more to continue the completist issue. My version is a USA ltd edition released at he time is lovely orange vinyl. Never seen another copy.

    # 17 Jul 08 at 8:12 am

16. Ron:

    I Have an Original Cover & Album Can Anyone Put a Value To This Album

    # 26 Jul 08 at 12:57 pm

17. hubertart:

    The LP may be dead, and with it the full-blown, over-the-top cover art that accompanied it, but there’s no reason why the latter needs to be buried. Not when the form continues to influence the way we traffic in pop culture, and certainly not when you consider the stories behind some of pop culture’s most controversial album covers.

    Case in point: Some Girls by The Rolling Stones.
    Back in ‘78, when the Stones released their landmark LP, both punk and disco were at their peaks and the band basically had been written off as irrelevant. Well, as everybody now well knows, it was the writers who were really irrelevant. Some Girls not only went on to become the band’s best-selling U.S. albums ever, to this day it remains a staple of their live show. In fact, the Stones perform more tracks off Some Girls in any given night, than off any other of their many, many albums.
    But we’re here to talk about cover art, and the art that adorned Some Girls was not without some large controversy.
    Designed by Peter Corriston and illustrated by Hubert Kretzschmar to vague specifications issued by Mick Jagger, the album’s original artwork consisted of die-cut images of starlets in various states of wiggery and drag set along different color strips that, once the inner sleeve was removed, revealed some very surprising results. It was a bold imaging, equal parts Warholian mockery and outsider candor, which bitch-slapped the culture of celebrity.

    It was also perhaps the snarkiest album cover in the history of pop music.
    Unfortunately neither Lucille Ball, Farrah Fawcett or Raquel Welch were amused at their unsightly representations, and neither were the folks handling the estates of both Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe, and each and every party threatened to sue. The Stones immediately withdrew the album, destroyed all the copies, and had it recast and re-issued without any images of the offended starlets.
    Too bad too, both for the aggrieved (who really should’ve had a better sense of humor about themselves), and for us, who were denied the wild-eyed commentary that affixed one of rock’s all-time greatest LPs.

    Now, for the first time since it was pulled from the shelves, the original artwork has been unleashed, as has a third and a fourth rendering from Corriston and Kretzschmar, neither of which ever saw the light of a record store. Like the cinematic efforts of Robert Frank and the Meisel brothers, the artwork exists on a continuum of collisions and collaborations which best represent what the Stones were all about; what they stood for then, in all their brashness, and what they stand for now, in all their legacy.
    In other words, the album goes with its sleeve. And while such sleevery seems to be almost antiquated in this age of instantania, it’s a refreshing reminder that once upon a time a band could stand for more than a song.

    # 01 Aug 08 at 11:36 pm

18. hubertart:

    As to Quint Gregory’s inquiry:
    It is Mick Jagger.
    Tatoo You / Art Direction: Peter Corriston, Artwork: Christian Piper, Photography: Hubert Kretzschmar

    # 01 Aug 08 at 11:44 pm

19. Malcolm:

    All very interesting but let’s get to the nitty-gritty. Using terminology to ‘Front cover, top row picture 1′ etc can anyone identify the photos of ALL the people mentioned in the correspondence about this sleeve, please, especially the men?

    # 10 Aug 08 at 9:47 pm

20. clare:

    i have also have this album in tiptop condition… so did anyone know on how much its worth???

    # 13 Aug 08 at 2:27 am

21. Malcolm:

    Regarding value of the album: there are many variations in colour on the original sleeve as well as there being the ‘censored’ sleeve. Also there are couloured vinyls. As with all of this kind of stuff, the best thing to do is to see what they sell for on Ebay but check the listings very carefully for condition and for variants.
    Malcolm.

    # 23 Aug 08 at 6:32 pm

22. morgan:

    i have the original record that was only released one day with the photos you are talking about that people were going to take legal action, no joke no lie do u think its worth ne money, no lie my dad is a big fan got the album when store open im tryin to see how much people would pay for this shit.

    # 09 Sep 08 at 10:29 am

23. Daniel DuRoss:

    I have an original “Some Girls” album never opened with the banned photos on the cover. Price tag on album says $5.99. Im willing to sell to best offer if value paid. The picture in upper left corner has a sticker covering it that says “Contains the Single MISS YOU”

    # 04 Nov 08 at 12:24 pm

24. Cathye:

    I have the original album + cover with the photographs of differents actrices of 50′ (Brigitte Bardot, Lizza Minelli, etc…)”Some girls” . I’d also like to know the price and if someone is interessing for buy this. Thanks

    # 21 Feb 09 at 10:03 pm

25. sunrise:

    does anyone know how much this cost?

    # 10 Apr 09 at 6:24 am

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